Wibe stretcheb



A. BLAoOM. wrR'E sTRETcHER. APFLlAfr'loN FILED ocT. 25, 71919.

1,412,447. muted Apr. 11, 1922,

UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH IBLOOM, 0F LANSING, MICHIGAN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

fo all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ADoLrH BLooir, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing. in the county of Ingham and State of Michigan7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire stretchers and has for its primary object the provision of an improved form of stretcher device which can be readily and easily attached to a fence post and moved relative to thevpost for stretching wire.

A further object is to provide a stretcher which can be conveniently handled by a single person, and which is particularly adapted for active use in stretching any kind of wire; improved locking means being provided whereby the stretching element of the device is held rigid after being adjusted to draw andl stretch the wire..

A further object is to provide a device, which aside from its use as a wire stretcher can also be employed for the purpose of lifting fence posts from their positions to permitof their being replaced.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe novel details of constructionV and combination of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In ythe accompanying drawings forming a part of this application- Figure 1 vis a plan view of the invention illustrating a wire stretcher.

FigureV 2.is a side elevation showing its use as a fence post lift-er.

Figure 3 isa view of the locking lever detached from the stretcher armv` and Figure 4 is a view of the post gripping member.

Fig. 5 is a sketch in section showing the bifurcation of the stretcher arm.

As shown in the drawings, the invention comprises av stretcher arm provided with an elongated handle portionV l of a tapering configuration and a widened portion 2, adjacent the narrow end of the handle; which portion is bifurcated whereby spaced parallel arms 3 are formed. Each arm 3 is provided with a smooth outer edge 4, extending throughout the length of the arm and curving upwardly along the pointed nose 5' at the end of the arm. Each arm engages and supports one end of a pin 6 which is rigid therebetween and to which is connected a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

Application filed (lctober 25, 1919. Serial No. 333,295.

cable or other suitable element 7. The other end of the cable 7 is secured to the handles 8 of the wire gripping pliers 9 in the manner shown in Figure 1. The fence wire, indicated at 10, is securedand gripped between the jaws 1l of the vpliers before any pull is exerted on the cable 7, after lwhich the arm 1 is drawn back, tensioning the cable 7 and causing'the handles 8 to be drawn toward each other and forcing the jaws 11 tightly against the fence wire.

A post gripping member 12 is disposed between the arms 3 and is pivotally supported therebetween upon a pin. 13, .which passes through an opening 14. of the ear piece 15 formed on the inner face oi the post gripping member and spaced from the lateral edges of this member7 as seen to advantage in Figure 4 of the drawing. An enlarged7 angularly disposed head 16 is provided on the member 12 and has its inner face curved as at 17 to substantially con; form to the curvature of the pointed nose of each of the arms The curvature of these elements permits the device to snugly trated in. Figure 1. The enlarged head is faced oii abruptly to provide a flat, face 18,H

from which project the tooth elements hereinafter referred to.

The locking lever comprises a substantially rectangular portion l2O having handle means 21 integral therewith and reduced at one end to provide shoulders 22 and the projecting portion 23, the latter adapted to be inserted between the arms 3 of the stretcher arm and supported upon a bearing 24. The portion 20 of the lock lever' has a suitable opening 25 therethrough into which one end oi the member 12 is adapted to be received when the parts of the invention are assembled. One wall 26 of the opening is rounded off as are likewise the shoulders 22 to provide a cam surface permitting the end 27 of the member l2 to ride smoothly thereover, whereby the latter is moved to shift the head 16 forwardly of point 5 when the member 20 is moved in a given direction about its pivot.

Teeth elements 28 are provided on the flat face 18 of the enlarged head 16 and are made rigid therewith. These elements project a suitable distance beyondV the face 18 of the head and are to penetrate the post 19 when the member 12 is drawn into engagement with the post.

For stretching wire the device is Vut to use in the following manner: The heat 16 of the gripping member 12 is 4placed up againstV post 19 with the points of the teeth in contact therewith, and the rear endvofthe member lying close up to part 2, resting upon edges 4; the locking lever .being disposed in opposite position alongside Vthe stretcher arm. The device is held in osition by the operator who grips han le 1 in one hand, and handle 21 in the other hand. p To stretch the wire, lever arm 1 is drawn` to pull the wire, tooth element 28 serving as the fulcrum about which the arm is turned. Vhen the arm has been so far turned as to have tensioned or stretched the Wire to the desired degree, handle 21 is swung upwardly from alongside the arm, causing end 27 of post-gripping member r12 to enter opening after being engaged by cam edge 26, which moves the member about the pivot 13, causing the teeth to bite into the post-and to become firmly embedded therein with the Hat face of the head en- "whereas, formerly, the services of severalv character, the stretching and stapling of the Wire can be successfully and most co11- veniently accomplished by a single person,

have been required.

vlilhen used for lifting purposes the deviceY is merely inverted s0 that the toothfelement v 28 may bite into the post near the ground line thereof and the handle 21 extends ver-1 tically in substantially parallel relation with the post. The member 12 is locked by the lever 20 in the usual manner but in this instance the hump 29 of the enlarged head is used as a fulcrum upon which the device is moved, the handle 1 being drawn back away from" the post and downwardly, causing the enlarged head to move in a substantially vertical. direction and forcing the post up out ofthe post h ole,

The above constitutes the preferredv embodiment of the device but it is to be understood thatk minor details of construction with respect to the arrangement of the parts may obviously be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention, as hereinafter stated. i

Having thus fully described my invention, what I'claim as new and useful and desir to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A device of the character described in cluding a stretcher arm having a bifurcated portion, a post engaging member pivoted between the bifurcations and lever means pivoted for movement against this post engaging member, whereby the` latter may be moved to hold the arm xed to a post.

2. A stretcher including in combination with a wire stretchingelement, of'a stretcher arm having a movable tooth portion at' one end and a handle at the other end, and a lever means carried adjacent the movable end for moving said toothed portion into engagement With a fpost, whereby said stretcher arm may be supported therefrom.

8. A device of the character described, in cluding a stretcher arm, ,a post-gripping member, and'lever means for adjusting said member against a post to hold the arm fixed thereto. Y i

4. A device ofthe character described, including a stretcher arm, ,post gripping means, pivotally connected tosaid arm to provide a fulcrum therefor, and means carried by the arm and engageable with said post gripping means for actuating the latter to hold theV arm fixed to a given post.

A device oft-he character described, including a stretcher arm having a handleat one end and a bifurcated portion at the other end.v an element pivotally supported between the bifurcations and having postgripping means at one end, and lever means on the stretcher arm for movement ragainst the other end of the pivoted element, to cause the gripping means thereof to .bite into the post and to hold the stretcher arm fixed thereto. A

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH BLooM.

Vitnesses: l l

JoHN BLooM, J. A. PARSONS. 

